Family of singer, 24, who died mysteriously on cruise ship in Darwin make heartbreaking decision to have her exhumed after 'bungled' local investigation

  • Kathy and Mike Kastrinelis will exhume the body of their glamorous daughter
  • Jackie Kastrinelis died on the Seven Seas Voyager near Darwin in February 2013
  • More than five years on, the 24-year-old's body will be examined for answers

The parents of a woman who mysteriously died on a cruise ship in 2013 have made the heartbreaking decision to dig up their daughter's remains.

Jackie Kastrinelis, from Groveland, Massachusetts, died on the Seven Seas Voyager near Darwin, in bizarre circumstances that her family claims were never properly investigated. 

Now, in the name of serving justice for their glamorous cruise ship singer daughter, Kathy and Mike Kastrinelis will exhume her body, The Australian reported.

More than five years on from her bizarre death, the 24-year-old will be removed from a Massachusetts graveyard so a new forensic investigation can be undertaken.

Jackie Kastrinelis (pictured), from Groveland, Massachusetts, died on the Seven Seas Voyager near Darwin, in bizarre circumstances that were never properly investigated

Jackie Kastrinelis (pictured), from Groveland, Massachusetts, died on the Seven Seas Voyager near Darwin, in bizarre circumstances that were never properly investigated

The family said it was left with no choice following the Territory coroner's recent denial to hold an inquest into Jackie's unexplained February 2013 death.

'This is really difficult for our family but we have to make sure justice is done for Jackie. The investigation into her death was flawed from the start and we are at a loss as to why they did not open an inquest,' Ms Kastrinelis said. 

Following the exposure of a host of apparent errors in the way her case was initially investigated, the family requested an inquest amid fears she was murdered.

The official reason for the perfectly healthy woman's death was an extremely rare 'sudden unexplained death syndrome' that took her while she was sleeping. 

The family (pictured with Jackie, second from left) said it was left with no choice following the Territory coroner's recent denial to hold an inquest into Jackie's unexplained 2013 death

The family (pictured with Jackie, second from left) said it was left with no choice following the Territory coroner's recent denial to hold an inquest into Jackie's unexplained 2013 death

Jackie's parents had always held concerns about the investigation of their daughter's death on the Seven Seas Voyager (pictured, stock image)

Jackie's parents had always held concerns about the investigation of their daughter's death on the Seven Seas Voyager (pictured, stock image)

Her family however have never been convinced and said the only way they would learn the truth was by exhuming her body.  

Mr Kastrinelis said he felt 'uneasy' ahead of the process but believed it was the only option if the family were to find how their daughter died. 

'It involves taking sections of her organs that in their opinion could retain key markers of drug interactions or proteins and ­enzymes that might indicate a cause of death,' he told the publication.

Mrs Kastrinelis said it was her belief Northern Territory authorities thought her daughter was a 'party girl on a ship and ­nobody did anything to her'.

She added exhuming her body was an absolute last resort. 

Pictured is a cabin on the cruise ship Seven Seas Voyager where Ms Kastrinelis was found dead

Pictured is a cabin on the cruise ship Seven Seas Voyager where Ms Kastrinelis was found dead

The body of the glamorous cruise ship singer (pictured) found dead in her cabin will be exhumed under the orders of her family

The body of the glamorous cruise ship singer (pictured) found dead in her cabin will be exhumed under the orders of her family

Ms Kastrinelis, the lead singer in the on-board Cirque Voyager show, was seen laughing and having fun over a few drinks on the night she died.

The 24-year-old University of Hartford graduate had been working for the cruise line for two years and planned to audition for a Broadway role on her return home.

Her Ukrainian saxophonist ex-boyfriend, Roman, who was on the ship and admitted being made jealous by the sight of her with another man, was among the elements to the cruise ship mystery.

Then there was Jaanus, the Estonian engineer who said goodnight to Ms Kastrinelis before she entered her room for the last time, and Daniel, who admitted having consensual sex with the singer about 30 hours before her death.

The police report reveals Roman lied in his first interview, and the door swipe records from that night do not match accounts provided by the three men.

Investigators did not test sheets and pillowcases for DNA, eliminate the DNA of first responders, or check Ms Kastrinelis's (pictured) cabin for fingerprints

Investigators did not test sheets and pillowcases for DNA, eliminate the DNA of first responders, or check Ms Kastrinelis's (pictured) cabin for fingerprints

A coroner's report, which found the healthy 24-year-old died of a rare and possibly hereditary condition, showed investigators failed to test for the drug ketamine. 

Nor did they collect enough DNA samples to identify the source of male DNA found on Ms Kastrinelis' underwear.

Of even greater concern were inconsistencies in the accounts of the last people to see her alive - ex-boyfriend Roman, crew member Daniel, and engineer Jaanus.

It is not suggested however that any of those persons were actually involved in ms Kastrinelis' death.  

Roman lied to police in his first interview, before finally admitting to investigators he felt jealous after seeing Ms Kastrinelis and Jaanus together on the night of her death

The report, which found the healthy 24-year-old (pictured) died of a rare and possibly hereditary condition, showed investigators failed to conduct a drug test for ketamine

The report, which found the healthy 24-year-old (pictured) died of a rare and possibly hereditary condition, showed investigators failed to conduct a drug test for ketamine

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.